Stocking



Watenteci Dec. i4, 193'? STOCKING Charles 0. Foster, westvme, N. a, assignor to The Chesterman-Leeland Company, Philadelphia, Pa., 'a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 14, i936, Serial No. 100.620

being a renewal of, and improvement upon myprior application Serial No. 339,894, flledl' ebruary 14, 1929, entitled Stocking top and allowed January 7, 1931.

Surgical stockings of this nature have heretofore been made of a knitted fabric in which is embodied an elastic filler in the form of elastic strands combined with, or bound in the knitted fabric. It has been found, in actual practice, that the upper edge of the welt or top of such surgical stocking tended to flare out or curl outwardly and downwardly unless a garter or other relatively strong elastic element was worn over the top edge of the welt, which rendered the stocking, uncomfortable or resulted in undue con striction of circulation.

It is the object of my invention to produce a stocking top or welt which will not flare or curl outwardly at its top edge and which, at the same time, while applying the necessary tension to the-leg will not necessitate the use of garters or other unduly constrictive devices.

The nature of the invention and the details of construction will be more clearly understood from the following specification and accompanying drawings in which: 1

Fig. 1 represents a view in elevation of the upper portion of a seamless stocking provided with a top embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary and diagrammatic view of the rear orinner face of the fabric forming the stocking top. I

Fig. 3 represents a fragmentary and diagramm'atic'viewof the face or exterior of the fabric. Fig. 4 represents a diagrammatic sectional view of the fabric shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of construction.

Fig. 6 represents a diagrammatic sectional view of the fabric shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 represents a fragmentary and diagramstitch course, the same forming a tuck-loop on the rear face of the welt C which may or may not be reinforced. D represents an upper tuckstitch course or a section or a band composed of more than one tuck-stitch course and also forming a tuck-loop on the rear face of the welt. E represents the top edge of the welt which is of the same fabric as the leg A except that it is lock-stitched after completion. The leg portion A and the top edge E are preferably both knit of the plain rib stitch I, the welt C, of the reinforced rib stitch tend the sections or bands B and D are formed of the tuck stitches 9. III designates elastic fillers which aregcombined in the knitting of the fabric. The lower and upper bands B and D may be formed of one; or more courses of stitches 9, as desired.

- In Fig. 5 the stocking leg is designated as A and the top lock-stitched edge as I. but, in this modified form, the entire welt, which is designated as F, is formed of the tuck stitches 9 and may be reinforced as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 6, or else may consist of the single direct stitch of which the leg A is formed, combined with the tuck stitch, asshown in Fig. 7. 4

I have found that, if the welt is provided with a band or bands formed of one or more courses of tuck stitches formed on the inner or rear face of the fabric, the shifting or displacement of the stitches and elastic strands, as shown at H, gives the body of the welt a tendency to curve inwardly in the direction of, or v onto. the leg of the wearer thus completely counter-acting the tendency of a straight knit fabric to flare or curl away from the leg of the wearer particularly in view of the fact that the portion of the leg above the knee gradually thickens upwardly. In other words, the provision of the tuck stitches, whether they be in the form of a course or more at the top, or a course or more at the bottom of the welt, or both, or

whether they constitute the entire body of the tion and construction of the tuck stitches with relation to and'their effect upon the welt.

for producing tuck stitches is now available, I have deemed it unnecessary to show any special means or manner for producing the tuck stitch courses.

While I have shown and described the inven- Inasmuch as the formation or tuck stitches is, a per se, well known, and inasmuch as machineryportion which is formed of strands of elastic fillers and knitted binding thread, a welt also formed of strands of elastic fillers and knitted binding thread and having therein an extra knitted binding thread, said welt having knitted therein a course having tuck-loops upon the back of the stocking at the juncture of the leg portion with the welt, and also having knitted therein a course having tuck-loops upon the back of the stocking adjacent the upper edge of the welt and spaced from the first mentioned course, whereby the 'welt'may closely hug the leg of the wearer to retain its shape without discomfort to CHARLES C. FOSTER. 15

the wearer. 

